Gimme Shelter
by 0Chatoyant0
Summary: Death. It was something that Sophie Harrison had witnessed a handful of times as an ER nurse, but the experience of it was quite different. Thrown into an unfamiliar world and swept onto a quest she never asked to embark on, Sophie must face orcs, goblins, hostile elves, and the puppy-dog eyes of a certain Dwarven prince. Fili/OC. Modern-Person-in-Middle-Earth. Haters gonna hate.
1. Bohemian Rhapsody

Authors Note: Why, hello, there. It seems that you've stumbled upon my fanfic, you poor, unfortunate soul. :P In all seriousness, I've been tossing this crap around in my head for a while and decided against my better judgement to write it out and publish it. This is a shameless modern-person-in-Middle-Earth fic written for the lulz, so read at your own risk. ;) I've done my best to make my main character as non-Mary-Sue-ish as possible, but let's face it: with a modern person insert fic, she might be an itty-bit Mary Sue regardless. For those of you looking for this kind of thing, enjoy, leave a review if you want, and stay classy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own silly character.

Rated M - Mostly for future chapters. We gonna get Game of Thronesy up in here with our battle scenes and things.

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><p><strong>Gimme Shelter<strong>

_Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?_

Death. It was a cold, inevitable fact of life for every living creature on Earth. Sophie Harrison had seen death on a few occasions, but she had never given much thought to her own. Oh, she'd briefly considered it, she supposed, just like everyone else. For herself, she assumed that she'd die a shriveled old woman after living a long, full life and popping out a kid or two. Everyone likes to nurse the comforting thought that they'll die old and satisfied with life. Surely Sophie never thought that she would die in the prime of her life. She was twenty-five, for Christssake; she had things to do and places to go. But life doesn't always pan out the way we want it to, and sometimes things turn out more different than we ever could have guessed. There would be no pearly white gates in store for her, but perhaps that wasn't so bad, when there was a grand adventure to be had instead...

_St. Joseph Hospital, 4:16 A.M._

To say that she was ready to go home and crawl into bed was an understatement. While working as an ER nurse certainly had its merits, long night shifts could really take its toll on a person. Tonight's shift hadn't been particularly spectacular; nothing more than a few minor car accidents, a heart attack, some kid busting his lip on a coffee table, a bar game gone very, _very _wrong (Sophie's patience was running thin for the people who chose to participate in five finger fillet), and a broken ankle. Even so, working in a hospital emergency room was a tough job, and Sophie was more than ready to curl up and sleep for a long time. This wasn't to say that she didn't like her job. On the contrary, Sophie loved her work as someone who helped to patch up the injured and, on occasion, save lives. There were times where she didn't much care for the high stress it brought with it, but she found it to be more rewarding than not. After all, this career wasn't for the faint of heart; she reckoned that _someone_ had to do it.

Sophie shuffled into the locker room where she kept her things. It was predictably empty, not that she minded. Changing into scrubs in front of her coworkers had never become a completely comfortable part of her daily routine. Sophie paused in front of her locker to yawn, her back giving a satisfying crack as she stretched both arms to the ceiling. As quickly as she could manage in her sleepy state, she undressed down to her underwear and pulled on her favorite pair of jeans and an old band t-shirt. She haphazardly tossed her scrubs into the backpack she had brought to work, too exhausted to neatly fold them. Shouldering the bag, Sophie inspected herself in the cheap plastic mirror she had taped on the inside of her locker door. A tired young woman stared back, wisps of curly black hair falling from her bun and dark circles showing prominently underneath her eyes. She sighed and shut the locker, more excited than ever to have a serious love affair with her warm, comfy bed.

She had almost reached the elevator to the parking garage, saying quick goodbyes to coworkers in passing, when a voice called her name. She turned to see Ryan, a handsome young man about her age from radiology, approaching her from the end of the hallway. He was a fairly new hire, if Sophie remembered correctly. She'd heard some of her female coworkers gushing about him last week; he was apparently single. He rushed to catch up with her, the soles of his tennis shoes squeaking every so often on the pristine white tile floor.

"Hey," he greeted her, a little breathless. "You leaving for the morning?"

"Yeah. I'm heading out." She replied, feeling no need to say more. Sophie didn't care much for small talk, particularly not so early in the morning.

"Well, listen. I've seen you around and I thought that you were kind of cute." He said with a self-conscious smile. "I was wondering if I could take you out for coffee or something sometime."

Sophie was a little taken aback by this; she'd had no idea that Ryan was interested in her at all. She considered it for a moment. Ryan was a good looking guy, and nice, too, if her coworkers were to be believed. Sophie hadn't dated anyone in a couple of years; she was too engrossed in her job at the hospital to think much of romance. Her mother often chided her for this, saying that she would become an old maid soon if she didn't find herself a man, but Sophie didn't mind it much. She liked living on her own and didn't see much reason to change now.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass. I'm too busy to date right now." She said honestly. The other nurses would be glad to have their shot at a date with him, at least.

"Ah.. Okay." He seemed disappointed. "Well, I thought I'd ask. You have a good night, Sophie."

"You too."

When he had gone, she stepped onto the elevator, which seemed dimly lit in comparison to the white fluorescent lights of the hospital halls. The elevator lurched and groaned in preparation to make its decent downwards. Even though she had ridden this particular elevator many times, Sophie still felt a small knot of paranoia form in the pit of her stomach. She was never one for old, creaky elevators, and this one was about a seven out of ten as far as rickety elevators went. If her legs weren't currently feeling like tree trunks filled with lead, perhaps she might have taken the stairs instead. Sophie looked over the slightly torn bulletin that was taped to the laminate paneling of the wall. The flyer advertised a fundraising event for the neighboring children's hospital, but the event in question had come and gone a week ago. She tore it from the wall and crumpled it up, figuring she'd do whoever put these things up a small favor by throwing it away. The elevator shuddered to a stop on the second floor of the parking garage, the heavy stainless steel doors creaking open with a weak _ding_.

Sophie tossed the flyer into a nearby receptacle as she stepped out into the warm, muggy evening. The garage was deserted save for a handful of cars and the dozens of fat moths that zipped in an erratic dance around each overhead light. Her footsteps echoed eerily in the massive concrete fortress, and for a moment she fancied herself as a character in a horror movie. Beyond the garage, Sophie could hear the occasional quiet _whoosh_ of passing traffic in the streets below. She dug around in her backpack for her keys as she approached her own car, a little blue Honda. Her fingers closed around a jagged lump of keys and plastic, and she fished her keys out of the bag, triumphant. She sank into the driver's seat with a relieved sigh. She was almost there; all she had to do now was make the twenty minute drive home. Sophie made a futile attempt to rub the sleep from her eyes before she turned the key in the ignition and began her trek home.

The lights of the city slowly slipped away as she merged onto the highway that would take her back to her apartment in the next town. This was always the worst part of the drive for Sophie, particularly so early in the morning. There weren't a lot of people on the road and it was not yet light. There was nothing but a long, familiar stretch of asphalt dotted with perfectly spaced street lights on either side. It was easy for Sophie to become comfortable with its calm, unchanging pattern. Shaking her head as her eyelids became heavy, she tried her best to sit up and focus on the road. Janis Joplin howled _Piece of My Heart_ on the radio, a song that Sophie was quite fond of, but she couldn't find it in herself to sing along. Still, she cranked the music up in an attempt to keep herself alert until she could make it home. Fighting sleep was becoming harder and harder. Sophie found herself nodding off, only to jerk awake and stare wide-eyed at the road, then begin to nod off again. She was vaguely aware of the danger of driving when she was so tired, but she was determined to make it home. On her right she passed the large, forested state park where she liked to hike when she could find the time to do so, although she scarcely noticed it now. In her exhausted state, Sophie had entirely forgotten about the abundant population of deer that lived in the park; that is, she forgot until one chose to leap onto the road in front of her.

The sight of the blurred mass of fur and hooves cut through Sophie's exhaustion like a knife. She gasped and shot back in her seat, slamming on her brakes hard as the animal stood frozen in front of her. The car's tires squealed in loudly in protest against the asphalt, but it was too late to stop. Instinctively, Sophie swerved to avoid hitting the deer, only to over-correct herself and lose control completely. In slow motion, she watched helplessly as her car hurtled towards one of the massive street lights situated just on the side of the road. A terrible, icy feeling washed over her. This was it. She was going to die right here, right now. A rapid, chaotic flood of memories, regrets, and emotion overwhelmed her. Faster than she could blink, Sophie thought about her family, her friends, her coworkers, and even her cat. She mourned over the unbearably cliched thought that she would never get married, have children, or travel to the places she'd always wanted to see. Sophie was filled with fear, but as the light post as thick as a tree trunk rushed towards her, she found that fear replaced with a peculiar sense of peace. Accepting her fate, Sophie squeezed her eyes shut just before the impact. She jolted forward and heard the horrific crescendo of crunching metal and breaking glass, and then she knew no more.

_Somewhere outside of the Shire, 7:04 PM_

"Brother, I've a great idea for giving Mr. Boggins a bit of a scare."

Fili regarded his younger brother curiously. The dark brunette wore a mischievous grin, waiting for Fili to ask him more about the impish plot he had brewing in his head. Kili loved to pull pranks on the innocent and he'd been dying to pull one on poor Mr. Baggins, the uptight little hobbit who was already very much out of his element on this quest. As the mature, older brother, he should have given Kili some lame spiel about how it was rude to pull pranks on others. But Fili was still young, at least by dwarven standards, and he had some of his younger brother's mischief left in him.

"What is it?"

"I've seen Mr. Boggins jumping at every little noise we hear when we stop for the night. I say we tell him the story about the throatcutters that come kill you while you're sleeping." Kili said, his voice hushed so that their potential victim wouldn't hear. He glanced at Bilbo, who was sitting stiffly on his burly chestnut pony ahead of them. He seemed to be too busy trying to rein in Myrtle to listen to anything the two brothers had to say.

"Our burglar would never sleep again if we told him that." Fili said with an amused chuckle. Kili's grin widened.

"I'd wager three gold pieces he'd turn tail and go right back to the Shire."

Before Fili had a chance to reply, Thorin called the company to a halt in front of a small stone outcrop overlooking the forest. The ponies bunched together and stopped, and the company fell silent, waiting for their next command.

"We will stop here for the night." Thorin announced. "Bofur, get a fire-"

That was when they heard it: a great, terrible noise some short distance to the West. It was a sound unlike anything anyone in the company had ever heard before. Several of the ponies tossed their heads and gave frightened whinnies. Fili's own pony flinched and nervously sidestepped towards his brother's mount, as if the mare were looking for comfort from her herdmate. He pulled on the reins and gave her a reassuring pat on the neck, although Fili was not feeling completely confident that all was well, himself. It sounded as though someone was crushing and scraping a great deal of metal while simultaneously smashing glass. The noise was gone as quickly as it had come, and the forest became quiet once again. For a moment, nobody spoke or moved. Bilbo was the first to break the silence.

"What was that?" He asked to no one in particular. There was a hint of panic in his voice.

Debate broke out immediately, with everyone clambering to give their own opinion as to the source of the crash. Dwalin was of the opinion that the sound came from a troop of orcs that had caught scent of their trail. Dori interjected and claimed that it was something dark and unnatural. Nori agreed, suggesting that the noise was made by a fearsome beast. All the while, Bifur gestured wildly as a string of rough Khuzdul flew from his mouth too quickly to make out. Thorin's booming shout for silence brought a hush to the company once more. He turned to his nephews.

"Fili, Kili, I want you both to scout out the source of the noise. The company will wait for you here."

There were some loud complaints to that (several members of the company wanted to simply move on), but the decision had already been made. Fili and Kili dismounted from their ponies and readied their weapons. Thorin stopped Fili before he set out for the treeline after his kin.

"Be careful. Watch over your brother." He told him quietly.

Fili nodded and disappeared into the brush, leaves rustling softly beneath his boots as he hurried to catch up with Kili. The dwarf in question was already stalking through the woods, bow half-drawn, ready to loose an arrow on the first sign of trouble. For himself, Fili drew one of the twin swords he carried on his back. He squeezed the cold steel hilt in his hand, his body tingling with both fear and excitement at the possible danger ahead of them. The quest had been quiet so far, and Fili was hard-pressed to admit that he had been itching for a little bit of action. With keen eyes, both Fili and Kili scanned the trees surrounding them. The forest betrayed nothing, only the gentle hum of insects and wildlife.

The brothers silently trekked through the woods for quite some time, expecting a danger to present itself at any moment. The minutes crawled by without a single stir. Kili heard a shifting in the bushes to his left and snapped around to aim an arrow at the noise - only for a very terrified and very harmless squirrel to scurry away out of reach in the trees. Kili let out a sigh and lowered his bow.

"Whatever that noise was, it's not around here." He declared. "Let's go back."

"I think we should scout for a little bit longer," Fili answered. He knew his brother to be a bit impatient and at times even reckless, a mark of Dwarven youth. Kili might have been ready to give up the search, but Fili was not. A noise that big had to have been made by _something_, and Fili was determined to find it.

Kili shrugged, but did not protest as he followed Fili further into the forest. The sun was beginning to set in the West ahead of them, bathing the trees in a soft, golden glow. Out of the corner of his eye, Fili caught the bright glint on sunlight on something metallic. He elbowed his brother and pointed in the direction of the glare, both dwarves squinting through the growth to make out the shining mass hidden among a tangle of brambles. For a moment, neither one of them spoke, speechless at the sight of the thing that sat seemingly ruined in front of them. The hulking metal monstrosity was painted a deep blue and shaped vaguely like a giant beetle. A part of it was crumpled against a tree, smoke curling lazily from cracks in its obliterated hull. A pungent chemical smell that Fili couldn't place wafted through the air, and upon closer inspection he could see what looked like broken glass littering the ground.

"What _is _it?" Kili wondered aloud, gaping at the twisted mass in wonder. Fili could only shake his head as he struggled to comprehend the thing in front of him.

"Let's look around it, check the area. I don't think this thing is alive." He suggested. At least, he _hoped_ there was nothing alive around here. He wasn't sure he'd be able to recover from the shock fast enough to defend himself. Fili had been prepared for orcs, goblins, wargs, and trolls, but this was utterly foreign to him.

Kili nodded in agreement and made his way in a wide circle around back end of the object, stomping down thorny branches as he went. Fili approached the side, hoping to peek into a hole of shattered glass that he had spotted earlier. The nasty odor of the smoke grew stronger, and as he crept nearer he could hear a quiet hissing noise coming from the part of the mass that was crushed up against the tree. He wondered to himself if this noise was a good sign or a bad one. Cautiously, he stepped closer to the side of the beast, holding his sword at the ready in case anything chose to leap out at him. Nothing attacked him, but what Fili spotted inside the jagged hole surprised him enough to cause him to gasp and stumble a step backwards. Kili appeared at his side in seconds, bow drawn tight.

"What is it? Is it a monster?" He asked, his voice painted with thinly veiled excitement.

"No. It's a maiden." Fili answered, still a little dumbstruck by his discovery. Kili cocked an incredulous eyebrow at him and stood on tiptoe to look into the hole himself, only to turn back to him with the same look of surprise.

"Should we tell Uncle?"

Fili thought about it for a moment.

"Yes. Yes, Uncle should see this." He said finally. "You go and get him. I'll get the girl out of here."

"Oh, I see. I go fetch the company while _you_ rescue the fair lady." Kili teased, his trademark smirk returning. "You get to have all the fun."

Fili snorted and punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"Go on, get going."

Kili mocked hurt and rubbed his arm, then jogged back the way they'd come. When he had gone, Fili set to work assessing the condition of the woman in the belly of the mysterious metal beast. He made sloppy work of the thorns in his way by hacking away at them with his sword, stomping and shoving them out of his path. Peering into the hole again, Fili examined his damsel in distress more closely. He guessed that she must be of the race of Men, although she was a little shorter than average. He could see that the woman was still breathing, the shallow rise and fall of her chest just barely visible in the fading evening light. Scanning her face, he found that she was injured; a deep gash running through her left eyebrow oozed blood in a steady stream down her cheek. She seemed bound to a seat by a flat, gray strap. Tentatively, he called out to her, half-expecting her not to respond. To his pleasant surprise, the woman stirred, her face twitching and relaxing at the sound of his voice. Fili tried reaching into the hole to gently shake her shoulder next, taking care not to catch himself on the sharp edges of the glass. The maiden stirred again and muttered something in displeasure.

Fili was persistent, and with a few more shakes the woman's eyes slowly opened. She sat up and gazed around in muggy confusion, at first not seeming to notice him at all. When she finally did turn to look at him, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Hey." She finally managed to say, her voice groggy as she squinted at him, processing.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, both concerned and fascinated by his strange rescuee.

"I think so," The woman answered. She lightly touched the wound on her forehead. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. Our company heard a crash and my brother and I went looking for the source. We found you."

The woman gave only a soft grunt in response. He watched her move her hand to her right side and heard a _click_. The strap that trapped her in the seat came loose, and she turned to pull a handle on her left side. Fili heard a lock pop open, and the side of the blue beast swung open like a door on a hinge. He jumped out of the way so that the lady could stand. She was taller than him by at least four inches, Fili noticed. When she stood up, she immediately swayed on her feet and gripped the door for support. Remembering himself, Fili offered her his hand. Gratefully, the woman took it, and allowed him to lead her through the brambles and into a clearer, more open spot. She sat down on a fallen log, leaning on her knees as she silently took in her surroundings.

"How did you know how to get out of there?" Fili asked her, bemused by how casually she had stepped out of the mass like she'd done it a thousand times over.

"What do you mean? It's _my _car."

"What in Durin's name is a car?"

"I'm sorry, what was your name?" She asked, ignoring the question.

Startled that he had forgotten his manners, he bowed to her.

"Fili, at your service. And you are?"

"Uhhh... Sophie. Sophie Harrison. At your service, I guess. You going to a Renaissance fair or something?"

"What?"

"You're all decked out in costume." Sophie said dryly.

"These are my normal clothes." Fili sniffed, a little offended that she'd think of his garb as a childish costume.

"Come on man, this isn't funny. Where am I? Where's the highway?" She demanded to know, then muttered to herself, "I could have sworn I hit a light post..."

"We're just outside of the Shire."

"_Where?_"

"The Shire," He repeated, becoming a bit worried for this woman's sanity. Now that he'd come to think of it, Sophie was very strangely dressed. Instead of the skirts and corset that many women in the area wore, she was dressed in peculiar blue trousers and a black short-sleeved shirt emblazoned with a winged emblem and the word 'Aerosmith' across her chest. Reaching far back into his memory, Fili tried in vain to remember whether or not he'd ever learned about a place called Aerosmith. As a prince he had been required to learn of all the major places and cultures of Middle Earth, although his mind had admittedly been absent through many of the lessons. He kicked himself for it now, but Sophie seemed to be so unearthly of a person that he somehow doubted that she was from anywhere in Middle Earth at all. Was such a thing even _possible? _Before he had a chance to ask her more questions, the rest of the company made their loud, bickering approach through the woods.

One by one the dwarves appeared: first Kili, talking excitedly with Bofur about their discovery; then Bifur, speaking in Khuzdul to Bombur, who puffed along a step behind; Dori and Ori, the former cautiously approaching while whispering warnings to the latter; Oin and Gloin; then Dwalin and Balin, the hardened old warriors eyeing Sophie suspiciously; Nori followed by little Bilbo; and finally, Thorin Oakenshield, looking stern and important as he always did, walking alongside Gandalf. Sophie straightened and nervously looked over all of the dwarves that crowded before her. Clearly, she was a tad overwhelmed at the sudden appearance of twelve dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard, the majority of which were much shorter than she. Fili could see the reality of her situation dawning on her face; she looked as though she were going to be sick. Thorin came forward amid the lot of them. Twelve pairs of eyes darted from the car to Sophie, staring at her as though she were some exotic animal, but Thorin kept his gaze fixed only on her, measuring her up.

"Who are you?" He inquired, his voice low, commanding, and wary.

"Sophie Harrison. I would ask the same of all of you." She answered, swallowing.

"Our names are none of your concern. How came you by here?"

"What is this, an interrogation?" Sophie snapped impatiently.

"_How came you by here_?" Thorin repeated sharply, shooting her an equally harsh glare. Sophie stared back defiantly and crossed her arms. Fili reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Answer his questions. My Uncle only means to help you if you don't mean us any harm." He implored her gently. She scrutinized his face, as if she were searching for validation of some kind, and sighed in defeat.

"I don't know. I was driving home from work and I got into an accident. I thought I hit a light post, but I woke up here in the middle of nowhere."

"Are you a time traveler of some kind?" Ori blurted out before Dori could hush him.

"Um. No?" Sophie furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Are you a sorceress? A spy?" Thorin was back on point with his questioning.

"No and no. Are you crazy? What kind of people _are_ you? Is this someone's sick idea of a joke? Because if it is, it's not fucking funny. I'm _bleeding_, in case no one's noticed." She fumed. "Someone had better tell me what's going on _right now_, before I call the police."

Thorin opened his mouth to shoot back another severe reply, but Gandalf beat him to it. Stepping forward, the old wizard bent in front of her.

"My dear girl, no one is here to hurt you. The circumstances of your coming to Middle Earth are unclear, but at the very least we can see to your wounds and your safety." He told her kindly. Sophie did not look convinced.

"Do you really expect me to believe that I've fallen into some fantasy land? I knocked my head pretty hard, but not _that_ hard."

"Whatever you may believe, you cannot stay in the forest alone." Gandalf continued patiently.

"Gandalf," Thorin cut in. "You cannot expect us to take her with us. We know not who she is or where she came from."

"Look man, I don't know what kind of a girl you think I am, but I am definitely not an assassin, witch, spy, or time traveler." Sophie retorted.

"So you say." He drawled.

"Thorin, where is your hospitality? We have found an injured young woman and you presume her to be an enemy. If she is a threat to us, she is greatly outmatched." Gandalf said pointedly. "It would cause us no harm to bring her along until we reach a safer location."

"We cannot afford to bring another person along. She will only slow us down."

"What are we supposed to do? Leave her alone to die?" Ori cried.

"I am in agreement with Gandalf. As a healer, it is my duty to assist the injured, strange as the wounded in question may be." Oin added.

Sophie looked helplessly back and forth at each of the dwarves as they debated over whether to let her stay in the company. Fili squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and smiled at her when she glanced up at him. He could see that she was irritated, but it seemed to him that she was frightened most of all.

"Don't worry," He said gently. "You're going to be alright."

It was subtle enough that he could have missed it if he weren't paying attention, but in that moment in the dying evening light, he saw just a little bit of the fear leave her eyes.

The company ultimately decided to allow her to stay with them, at least until they had reached a safe place to part ways. Sophie reluctantly agreed and assured Thorin for the second time that she was no enemy of theirs, magic or otherwise. Before heading back to camp, she asked to collect some of her belongings from the thing she called a car. Under the watchful eye of Thorin, Sophie gathered up a pack from the front of the car where Fili had first found her. She slung the bag, which was a garish shade of bright green, over her shoulder and bent to pull on what looked like a hidden lever. The back of the car sprang open, and from the compartment Sophie pulled a blanket and a small white box with a red cross painted on it. She stuffed these two things into her pack as well and threw one last mournful look at her car.

"I'm ready." She said finally, a look of tired resolve on her face.

Thorin nodded wordlessly and motioned for the company to make the trek to their chosen camp.

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><p>Aaaaannnnddd, there you have it. Let me know what you think!<p>

I'd like to note that, if anyone is wanting to follow this story, to please be patient with me on updates. I'm a perfectionist by nature and I **will** mull over and tweak my writing until it's just right. I also work full-time, so sometimes I don't have much time for my secret geeky hobby. But I'll do my best to update, I promise! C:


	2. People Are Strange

Author's Note: Wow, I really didn't expect this story to take off like it did, especially not right out of the gate. Thank you so much for your support! It's taken me a little while to get chapter 2 out for you. I got so busy with the holidays and work that I didn't have much time to write. :P Chapter 2 is here now for your reading pleasure, so please enjoy, review if you like, and stay classy.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit, not Tolkien's version or the bloated Peej version that I'm basing this story off of.

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><p><em>People are strange when you're a stranger<em>

It was nearly dark when they reached the camp, a small clearing of packed dirt and dried pine needles nestled against a slate gray outcrop. The dell sat in the middle of a grove of evergreens and young oak trees that clashed with one another in an unidentifiable pattern that seemed to stretch for miles in every direction. The lively daytime hum of the forest surrounding them had died away, replaced by a chorus of crickets, whip-poor-wills, and the occasional hoot of owls. A line of sixteen woolly ponies stood tethered nearby, each of them picking through the pine needles to crop the patches of coarse grass hiding beneath. Sophie couldn't believe her eyes; if her rescue party was indeed a bunch of over-enthusiastic fantasy cosplayers, then they really went all out. The company immediately set to work setting up camp, gathering kindling for fire, unsaddling ponies, and unpacking cooking pots all at Thorin's direction. Sophie stood by awkwardly and watched, for the moment unsure if she should offer to help. Thorin seemed to be the leader of the company, but she was not feeling very confident about approaching him. She knew that he didn't trust her and he stared at her the way a hawk eyes a mouse it wants to catch out in the open. Her earlier fighting spark and defiance had long since left her, so Sophie decided to lay low and stay out of the way, at least for the moment.

There was a large campfire crackling merrily on the ground before long. One of the dwarves had set a pot of water on the embers and sat down on a rock to slice various vegetables into the stew. As they waited for supper, the others meandered aimlessly around the camp. The shortest of the bunch, a curiously barefoot fellow with touseled chestnut hair, stole away to fondly scratch his pony's ears. After throwing a glance over his shoulder, she saw him dig into his coat pocket and produce a fat nub of carrot that the horse enthusiastically accepted from his outstretched hand. A handful of the dwarves huddled near the fire and smoked long pipes of tobacco. Fili was among them, laughing uproariously with the others as one of his companions, a confident-looking youth with the shadow of a beard just beginning to grow on his jaw, told a story. She spotted Thorin standing broodingly at the edge of camp with the tall, aged wizard that had first suggested that she stay in the company. Tired of standing around, Sophie shuffled closer to the fire and sat down an arm's length away from the cooking dwarf. She gave him a self-conscious smile when he nodded a friendly greeting to her, the enormous flaps of his trooper hat wiggling in time. Remembering that she was, in fact, injured, she unzipped her backpack and fished out a small, compact mirror.

"Damn, I really did a number on myself." Sophie murmured as she squinted at the wound in the flickering firelight. A small lock of her hair had fallen out of her bun and cemented itself into the sticky rivulet of blood that wound its way down the side of her face. She gingerly poked at the raw, bloody gash and sighed; it was definitely going to leave a scar. "Should probably get stitches..."

"I'd be happy to tend to that for you, lass."

Sophie looked up at the owner of the voice, a stocky, older dwarf that carried a sizable ear trumpet. One of the first things she noticed about him was the fact that he was ridiculously hairy; in fact, most of the company was. The dwarf in front of her peered at her through a nest of wiry salt-and-pepper colored hair that stuck out past his shoulders. His elaborately braided beard framed a smile filled with yellowed, crooked teeth. Despite the imperfection of his pearly whites, his smile had a warmth that lit up his face and even crinkled at the corners of his eyes, which hid beneath a set of impressively bushy eyebrows. Sophie was still rather uneasy with her current situation, having chosen to travel with a pack of short men that she half-believed to be batshit crazy. Even so, there was a genuine kindness in the gentleman's face that calmed her nerves.

"Thank you. I would appreciate that." She said, making sure to speak loudly enough that he could hear. "I have some bandages in my bag if you want them."

"No need, lassie." The dwarf replied with a wave of his free hand. He shrugged out of a squashy leather satchel and set his ear trumpet aside to dig out a set of clean cloth bandages, a rag, and a tiny clay pot sealed with a cork. He wet the rag with a bit of water from his canteen and handed it to her. "You set to work cleanin' that blood from your face."

Sophie obeyed without complaint, scrubbing the dried blood from her cheek as she tilted her face this way and that in her mirror. She wiped the blood away up to the wound itself, at which point the dwarf put his hand out for the rag. She let him take it and clean the cut for her. Truly, Sophie could have done all of this herself. She was a nurse after all and she'd dressed injuries like this one hundreds of times. Briefly, she wondered why she was allowing him to touch her wound at all. She had absolutely no idea if he had proper medical training or not. Too tired to worry much about it, Sophie instead resigned herself to his care, grateful to have someone else patch her up for once.

"I don't think that I caught your name." She said in an attempt to make conversation.

"Eh? You're goin' to have to speak up. I can't use me trumpet at the moment."

"Your name?" She repeated, louder this time. Embarrassingly, she had to say it so loudly that a couple of the dwarves glanced over at them.

"Oh, me name! Oin, at your service. And your name's Sophie, if I'm not mistaken."

"That's right." Sophie said, her smile giving way to a small hiss of pain when he rasped a half-formed scab from her brow. "So I heard you say earlier that you were a healer?"

"Aye. I've been once since I was a young lad about yer age." He answered, his voice swelling with pride.

"We must be kindred spirits, then. I'm a healer, too... Well, we call them nurses where I'm from."

"That so? We are kindred spirits indeed." Oin replied. He set the now bloodied rag down and reached for the tiny clay jar, but Sophie stopped him. The dwarf looked at her questioningly as she rummaged through her backpack for the first-aid kit she had taken from her ruined Honda. The extensive kit had been the source of a few laughs from her non-nursing friends at home, but Sophie was certainly glad that she had it now. The memory of her friends brought forth the uncomfortable thought that she might not ever see them again. Either she'd willingly been abducted or she was truly in a parallel universe, and neither option sounded like she'd be coming home anytime soon. Wouldn't her friends and family worry about her? Who would care for her cat while she was gone? Sophie chased the thought from her mind; it was best not to panic. Not yet. Having found her kit, she busied herself by taking out a tube of neosporin and a pad of gauze.

"I'd rather use my own ointment, if you don't mind." She explained as she unscrewed the cap of the antibiotic. Her wound should have had stitches, but Sophie was regrettably ill-equipped. A generous amount of the ointment, clean bandages, and a little bit of hope for the best would have to do for now. She squeezed the neosporin onto the gash and pressed the gauze over it. Oin was not offended by her desire to use her own equipment and helped her finish dressing the injury without complaint. Sophie thanked him generously for his aid.

"It's no trouble at all, lass." He said modestly.

By the time Oin's supplies had disappeared back into his satchel, piping hot bowls of vegetable stew were being passed around. Sophie appreciatively accepted her own bowl from the dwarf with the trooper hat, whose name was Bofur, as it turned out. She tasted the soup thick with chunks of carrot, onion, barley, and potato. It was a little watery, but Sophie was glad for something to eat, considering that she'd had nothing but a quick peanut butter sandwich during her break at the hospital. Truth be told, she was absolutely starving. She silently studied each of her new traveling companions as she ate. She came to the conclusion that on the whole these men were rather loud and obnoxious individuals. Many of them spoke with their mouths full, told rude jokes, and belched openly to choruses of laughter. There were a few people in the company that seemed to be a little more polite and soft-spoken. The littlest one seemed almost comically out of place as he sat and nervously chuckled at each lewd joke in an attempt to blend in. He was also neatly dressed by comparison, she noticed. While the others wore furs, leathers, and other travel-stained garments, he wore a smart burgundy jacket with a waistcoat and breeches. Although she didn't even know his name yet, Sophie's heart went out to the man that looked about as uncomfortable as she felt.

With her attention focused on the others, Sophie did not at first notice that Fili had left his miniature clique to sit in the empty space beside her.

"I see that you're looking a little better." She heard him observe.

In all of the hazy confusion earlier this afternoon, Sophie had not had a chance to truly look at Fili, despite the fact that he had been the one to rouse her from her unconsciousness. He was short in stature like the others, but Sophie found him to be surprisingly handsome in a rugged sort of way. He had a mane of dirty blonde hair that fell well past his shoulders. A couple locks of his hair had been braided in front of his ears to frame his face, each braid held in place by an elaborately carved silver clasp. Sophie took in each of his features in turn, from his strong jaw covered by a thick, but not overly long beard, to his prominent Roman nose. If he wasn't currently wearing medieval clothing, Sophie might have imagined him as the kind of guy you found headbanging at a heavy metal concert. In any case, she'd never met a man with a braided mustache that _wasn't_ devoted to screaming guitars and pounding vocals. Coming out of her quick reverie, she finally settled on his eyes, gazing at her kindly in an earthy shade of green.

"Looking a bit better, yes. Not sure how I feel yet." Sophie replied airily. Fili chuckled.

"Well, you have nothing to worry about here. Uncle might not be the warmest of dwarves, but he means well. You'll be safe with us."

"Could have fooled me," Sophie snorted. "Your Uncle looks at me like he expects me to murder you all in the night."

"_Will_ you be killing us in the night?" Fili inquired teasingly, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Of course not." Sophie said indignantly.

"Then you have nothing to fear. He'll come around."

"I hope so. You and your troop of merry men might be stuck with me for a while." She joked lamely. Suddenly, Sophie remembered something important that she had been meaning to do since this afternoon. "By the way, thank you."

"Might I ask what you're thanking me for?" He asked, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow.

"For finding me and waking me up, I suppose. I don't know how long I would have been sitting out there if you hadn't come along." She said sincerely. "I'm sorry if I seemed rude earlier. I was scared."

"You are quite welcome." Fili flashed her a smile. "Although, I didn't do all that much. You didn't even need help getting out of that... Thing."

"You mean my car?" Sophie said bluntly.

The ignorance of modern technology everyone in the company seemed to insist on was beginning to wear on her. All of this _had _to be a charade. The idea that she had crash-landed into this magical world called "Middle Earth" was absolutely ridiculous to her; these kinds of things just didn't happen in reality. However, there were certain things about her situation that didn't seem quite right. At first, Sophie had thought that perhaps she had crashed in the state park and not on the side of the highway like she originally thought. But how could she crash in the _middle_ of the park, with no sign of the road in sight? Even if that were possible, Sophie knew from her experience hiking there that traffic could be heard for miles on the trail, yet no matter how hard she strained her ears, the forest was utterly devoid of the sound. Sophie had also known from experience that her cell phone always had a signal, no matter how slight, even in the deepest parts of the park. She'd snuck a peek at her phone on the way back to camp: no service available. The idea that she had been moved to the middle of nowhere in some sort of complex and cruel prank was almost as ridiculous as the idea that she'd fallen into fantasy. Even so, Sophie felt as though Fili's bewilderment over something as commonplace as her car really was genuine. All of the inconsistencies and questions swirled about in her mind, creating a dangerous concoction of panicked confusion that threatened to explode out of her at any moment. Fili's voice mercifully brought her out of her thoughts again.

"Your car," He repeated, slowly, as if he were just learning the word for the first time. "Yes. What do you do with it?"

"Well... You drive it. You use it to get around." Sophie said, deciding to play along with him. "They're dangerous, though. I'm sure you can imagine that, considering the way you found me in it."

"I have never seen such a thing in all my life. But why would you use something so dangerous? You might have been killed if your car was any more destroyed than it was."

"Because it's a quick way to go from place to place. We like convenience where I'm from." Sophie shrugged. "I live in a world where we want things quick and cheap."

"And where _are_ you from, exactly?" Thorin queried in a low drawl. Startled, Sophie looked at him across the flickering fire. She had not realized that half of the company was listening to their conversation, their eyes trained on her in fascination.

"I'm from South Carolina."

"Where's South Carolina?" A dwarf with pinched features and a mousy button-down sweater wanted to know.

"It's in the U.S. of A, of course." Sophie replied without skipping a beat.

"The something something of... Aerosmith?" Fili guessed.

"What?" Now she was confused. Fili gestured towards her t-shirt. "Oh, no! Aerosmith is a music group, not a place."

"Why would you wear the name of a group of minstrels on your clothes?" Asked an elderly hook-nosed dwarf, bemused.

"I don't know. I like their music. Lots of people wear shirts like these where I'm from. Bands like Aerosmith make money by selling things with their name on it in addition to their music."

"That's so strange." Grumbled a dwarf with a heavily tattooed scalp.

"I am still interested to know where this 'U.S. of A' is located." Thorin said, steering the topic back to her home. Sophie felt rather vulnerable under his scrutinizing gaze. It seemed as though he were mentally picking her and her motivations apart, examining each piece in excruciating detail.

"Honestly, I don't know how to explain it to you. U.S.A. stands for United States of America. I don't know where the Shire is, nor have I ever heard of it. Your guess as to where the Land of the Free lies in relation to where we are now is as good as mine."

"Gandalf, do you know where this America lies?" Thorin turned to the wizard, who had been puffing pensively on his long, wooden pipe all evening. Gandalf looked thoughtful.

"Alas, I do not." He said finally. Thorin seemed both frustrated and disappointed by his answer.

"Speaking of places, where are you all going, exactly?" Sophie asked curiously.

"What's it to you?" The tattooed dwarf questioned.

"Well, if I'm going to hang around here for a while, I would like to know where the hell we're heading to." She answered, irritated with their constant secrecy. "You doing some shady business you don't want me to know about?"

"Our decision to take you to safety does not make you privy to our affairs." Thorin intoned.

"Fine. Then tell me where 'safety' is instead."

At this Thorin faltered, as if his mind had suddenly gone blank. His silence was all the answer Sophie needed.

"You've got to be kidding me. You have _no idea _where you're taking me." She shot at him, trying hard to maintain her composure. She would be damned if she was going to be lost on a mystery adventure for an indefinite amount of time!

"Rivendell." Gandalf said suddenly, causing all eyes in the company to turn to him. "You will find your safety there."

Thorin looked like he had just swallowed a lemon.

"We are not going anywhere near those accursed elves." He retorted severely.

"We have a map that we cannot read, and now we have a young woman of unknown origin within our ranks. Rivendell is the only place of refuge we can take her, unless you want to double back to Bree. Lord Elrond can help us." The wizard seemed tired, as if this weren't the first time he'd suggested Rivendell to the company's stern and stubborn leader. Thorin would not hear of it.

"I will not turn to the elves for help. Not after they betrayed by own kin." He argued stubbornly. Gandalf sighed.

"These are not the elves of Mirkwood. Elrond holds no ill will towards the line of Durin; you have no enemies there."

Thorin held fast to his apparent prejudice against the elves of Rivendell. Sophie was not feeling particularly confident with either side of the argument. She certainly did not want to be dragged on a long, dangerous venture she knew nothing about. On the other hand, Sophie also did not want to be dumped with a band of people that were allegedly untrustworthy traitors. Gandalf claimed that the elves were perfectly fine and helpful people, but how was she to know? More and more she regretted her decision to stay with the company.

"If you do not wish stop in Rivendell, then you may as well tell Miss Harrison the purpose of our journey. She will be with us for quite some time." Gandalf said, a look of irked resignation written on his face.

"I will consider it. For now, we will rest." Thorin conceded and refused to say any more on the subject.

The company had been silent during the argument, looking back and forth between the two of them as an uncomfortable tension hung in the air. After a few pregnant moments, the dwarves collectively began to bed down for the night. The tattooed dwarf volunteered to take the first watch and settled down on the very edge of camp close to the ponies. Sophie could see the orange glow of his pipe tobacco appear in the darkness. Everyone else settled in a cluster around the fire beneath their cloaks and bedrolls. Sophie pulled her blanket from her backpack and huddled beneath it. She punched and kneaded her backpack into a makeshift pillow to put beneath her head, but it was a poor substitute. The ground was hard and cold, and Sophie had to dig a rock out of her lower back before she could get even remotely comfortable. At the very least the softly glowing embers of the dying fire warmed her feet.

Sophie lay awake for a long time nestled between Fili and Bofur. Fortunately the two of them were quiet sleepers, but she could hear two or three of the dwarves snoring loudly nearby. The loudest of them, an extraordinarily fat dwarf, snored so hard that Sophie was sure she'd seen him suck in an unfortunate bug that happened to be fluttering by. A little grossed out, she gazed up at the stars instead, glittering carelessly in the heavens. It was in that moment that she finally allowed all of the anxiety that had been building up inside her all day to rush over her. There was no getting around it: this was an _awful_ situation. Sophie felt hopelessly powerless and lost. Her car was gone. She had no idea where she was; she didn't even have a working phone to call someone. She was stuck in a band of deranged men, half of which didn't even trust her and all of which acted as though they didn't live in modern times. Sophie had no idea when she would make it home, if she was going to make it home at all. What would she do about her family, her friends, or work? Would someone report her as missing and send out a search party? She even worried about Buttons, sitting alone in her apartment and probably wanting his nightly cup of kitty kibble. Her gash throbbed painfully beneath her bandages all the while. She wanted nothing more than to be at home with a hot cup of tea and a corny Netflix documentary. But instead, she lay out here on the unforgiving earth, with the stars twinkling mockingly down at her. She closed her eyes tight to keep a few bitter tears from escaping and tried to will herself to sleep. As she did, one question rolled through her mind over and over like a broken record: _What have I gotten myself into?_

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><p>So. This chapter was a little bit shorter than the last. That filler and introductory stuff, am I right? Anyways, there is one more thing I'd like to add. Since I take a while to post updates and such, I've decided that I can at least take the time to post kind-of-regular updates as to where I'm at in my writing process, if anyone's that invested in this story that they'd like to know. So yeah. That's a thing.<p> 


	3. Kings and Queens

Author's Note: I would like to start out by thanking everyone once again for their continued support. Those emails I get informing me that another person has favorited, followed, or reviewed my story is what motivates me to write even more! Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. :3 We've been going at a glacial pace, I know. I mostly wanted to really explore Sophie's initial feelings towards her impromptu trip to Middle Earth and introduce the characters at the same time. I'm hoping to pick it up next chapter. These past two chapters have been Sophie-centric, but I want to put out a Fili-centric chapter very soon. I'd like to make this a slow-burn romance with a lot of character depth and exploration put into my two leads, and I think that switching "points of view" every few chapters a la George R.R. Martin is the best way to do it. Fili will be a challenge that I look forward to; I'm less familiar with him than Sophie and, since he's not really that fleshed out in the movies or the books, I'll have to add a lot to his character on my own. Anyways, stay classy, folks. I look forward to those reviews as always.

Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff. If I did, I'd be making it rain in some fancy mansion somewhere. :P

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><p><em>Kings and queens and guillotines<em>

Sophie awoke the next morning to the sounds of sleepy chatter and breakfast sizzling in the frying pan. She had not slept very well, having woken up several times in the night, but what sleep she managed to catch was thankfully dark and dreamless. She sat up and allowed her blanket to fall down into her lap. The soreness from sleeping on hard dirt hit her immediately, her back and neck screaming in protest. Sophie stretched, reaching as far up toward the leafy branches above her as her body would allow, and felt cracks and pops in more places than she'd ever experienced in her life. The stretch alleviated some of the stiffness, but she was sure that this would not be the last morning she'd be sore before she grew accustomed to sleeping on the ground. Blinking at her surroundings, she took in the morning activities of her dwarvish companions. Bofur was already busy frying thick cuts of bacon on the rekindled fire from the night before. The sour smell of bacon grease wafted in her direction, making Sophie's mouth water. The other dwarves were in various stages of getting ready for the day, yawning and blinking blearily in the morning light. Some of the dwarves had already packed and lit their morning pipes of tobacco, creating hazy clouds of smoke that drifted lazily upwards. Gandalf was included on this front, sucking on the delicate tip of his pipe and looking troubled. Fili and the confident dwarven youth from last night were noticeably absent from the group.

The anxiety Sophie had experienced throughout the evening had, for the most part, subsided. What remained of her unease had wound itself into a tight ball of tension that sat heavily in the pit of her stomach like a stone. She watched the bacon crackle invitingly in its own juices and wished that she was more hungry than she actually was. The tension she felt put her off of her appetite. Sophie tossed her blanket from her knees and stood, deciding that a short walk might help to settle her stomach before breakfast. Not wanting to be rude, she bid Bofur a quick good morning.

"Good morning, lassie! Sleep well?" The dwarf responded with a cheerful grin.

"I slept alright, thank you." Sophie lied, glad that he hadn't noticed her unrest. Even if he had, he didn't mention it. She was grateful for that. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Ohh, I slept like a baby as usual. I'm a heavy sleeper, myself." Bofur said brightly. She wasn't sure what it was, but the dark-haired dwarf had an infectious, carefree demeanor that she couldn't help but smile at. She liked him already.

"I think I'm going to walk around and wake up a bit."

"Well, don't be wandering too far, lass. Breakfast will be on soon." He warned her kindly before turning back to his bacon, poking at it in a blackened frying pan with a carved wooden fork.

Sophie left him to his cooking and wandered from the fire to enjoy the gentle morning glow of the forest. The nighttime chill was just beginning to dissipate, giving way to what was sure to be a pleasantly warm and sunny day. The rising sun highlighted the trees in their countless shades of green and brown, filtering through the leaves to throw scattered shards of gold onto the forest floor. Looking down at her feet, Sophie could see dew sparkling on the dried leaves and pine needles that dusted the ground. A chorus of birdsong could be heard all around her, busy and joyous. She wound up making her way over to the ponies, standing in a drowsy line together in the shade of an ancient evergreen. She cautiously approached a stocky bay pony, her hand opened flat in front of her. The gelding stretched out his neck and pulled her scent into his nose, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled. When she got close enough to touch him, he licked the salt from her palm. Sophie squeaked in shock and delight, to which the horse gave a shake of his head. Rubbing her hand on her jeans, she reached out and scratched the small white patch of fur on her new found friend's brow.

"That's Cricket," Said a timid voice behind her. Sophie turned to see the littlest of the company standing there, probably to pay another visit to his chestnut mare.

"He's beautiful," She sighed in admiration. "We were just getting to know each other; I think he likes me."

"It would seem so," He replied, laughing when Cricket nipped at Sophie's sleeve in a demand for more attention. She chuckled and stroked his velvet muzzle with her fingertips.

"I don't believe we've been formally introduced yet," She said. "I'm Sophie Harrison."

"No, I don't believe so. Bilbo Baggins." To Sophie's surprise, Bilbo extended his hand for a handshake rather than bowing to her like Fili had. He was so short that she had to bend down a bit to grip his hand in her own.

"Bilbo, huh? Interesting name. Where are you from?" Sophie asked casually.

"I come from Hobbiton- it's in the Shire." Bilbo added when she looked at him questioningly.

"The Shire seems to be a popular place. This is the second time I've heard of it since I've been here!"

"You would love it, I'm sure." He said with a wistful smile. "The countryside is beautiful. I do miss it very much at times."

"I know the feeling. I've only been out here for a night and I already miss home." Sophie said, and she meant it. Her desire for a quiet afternoon of tea, Netflix, and cuddling with her cat had not left her.

She ended up talking to Bilbo until Bofur called the company for breakfast. He was well-spoken and interesting to talk to, although he was a rather nervous individual. At one point during their conversation one of the ponies gave a particularly hard sneeze behind Bilbo, causing him to jump and make a little surprised sound in the back of his throat. Sophie had to stifle a giggle at that, covering her mouth so as not to seem rude. They mulled over the Shire and South Carolina and what the journey had been like so far. In a fit of burning curiosity, she tentatively asked Bilbo why he didn't wear shoes. It turned out that he was not a dwarf, but a hobbit, and hobbits did not require such things because their feet are naturally very tough. Sophie was introduced to Myrtle, Bilbo's docile mare, and the rest of the ponies as well. She wondered if she would be riding a pony herself when the company set out for the day. The thought made her a tiny bit nervous; she could handle medical trauma and copious amounts of blood all day long, but she had zero experience riding horses. _Don't be so negative, Sophie,_ she thought to herself. _You've always wanted to go horseback riding; here's your chance._

Bilbo and Sophie made their way back to the campfire together as crisp cuts of bacon and slices of fluffy white bread were being passed out among the group. Seeing the ponies and chatting with Bilbo had put her in a much better mood and she wolfed her breakfast down eagerly. The bacon was among the best she'd ever tasted; it was just the right amount of crunchy and it wasn't too fatty. She had to give props to Bofur, he was a good campfire cook. Fili and his companion had returned, she noticed. She'd go say hello to him if she had time before they broke down camp, she decided, but there was a more important matter to be attended to. Taking her mirror and first aid kit from her backpack, Sophie unwrapped her bandages to examine the gash in her brow. It didn't look very different than it had the night before, but she thankfully saw no signs of infection. Her injury would take time to heal, but as long as she kept it clean and covered, she speculated that she would have no problems. With expert hands, she made quick work of redressing the cut. It still hurt, but there wasn't much to be done about that. Sophie would just have to cope with it until it healed. The company had not finished breakfast by the time she had put her things away, so she made her way over to Fili.

"Morning," She greeted him, plopping down on a bed of dried leaves.

"Well, _good morning_!" Said his brunette companion enthusiastically before Fili could reply.

"Hello there," Sophie replied, taken aback by his exaggerated greeting. "I don't think we know each other yet."

"This is my brother," Fili cut in as he jabbed his kin in the ribs with his elbow.

"Kili," He said, offering her his hand. Sophie took it expecting a handshake, but instead he turned her hand over and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles. "At your service."

The radiant smile Kili sent her way could have charmed the panties off of at least a dozen of Sophie's lady friends and coworkers. He certainly had the looks for it: dark hair, dark eyes, and a rugged handsomeness that matched his brother's.

"It's nice to meet you," Sophie said, a bit flustered by his openly flirtatious introduction.

"And you as well, milady."

"Oh, that's not necessary. Call me Sophie." She said with an embarrassed smile. Fili's brother was not short of charisma, but the honorifics were laying it on a bit thick. He made it sound as though she were some noblewoman or princess.

"As you wish," Kili replied, winking.

"So, where did you two disappear to this morning? I didn't see you." Sophie asked, changing the subject.

"Scouting," Fili replied simply as Kili tore into his share of breakfast beside him. "Checking to see what's ahead of us."

"And?"

"Seems alright to me. We found no signs of orcs - or cars." He said with a lighthearted grin.

Sophie knew that he meant well, but she inwardly wilted at the fact that Fili had seen no other vehicles on his tour ahead of the camp. Despite its preposterous nature, she was slowly easing into the idea that she was not in Kansas anymore, figuratively speaking. Even so, she held out for the hope that this was all some big, elaborate prank or misunderstanding. No such luck today, it seemed.

"Is something wrong?" Fili queried, his playful expression replaced by a look of concern.

"Ah... No. I'm fine." Sophie answered, stunned by how easily he had picked up on her subtle shift in mood. She was not a particularly emotional person, at least not the kind that wore her heart on her sleeve. As someone that worked in intense and sometimes dire situations on a daily basis, she liked to believe that she had mastered the art of the poker face. It almost unnerved her; he had noticed the little rain cloud brewing in her mind immediately.

Fili looked as though he were going to pursue the subject further, but at that moment Thorin gave the company orders to break down camp and get ready to move on. Sophie was admittedly relieved; now was not the time to have a long discussion about all her fears from the night before, particularly not with a man she barely knew. She busied herself with packing what little things she had back into her backpack. Even though it was folded as small as she could make it, her blanket took up a considerable amount of room, so much so that she had to smash it down to zip her bag shut. Perhaps she would try to figure out a different way to carry it when the company stopped to make camp later. Putting the blanket away had taken only a few minutes, and once again Sophie was left standing awkwardly while the dwarves worked around her. She hated feeling useless, so she mustered up the courage to approach Thorin this time and ask whether or not she might help. He gruffly advised her to keep out of the way.

The dwarves were quick and efficient in breaking down the camp, despite their earlier sleepiness. It wasn't long before everyone was mounting up onto the freshly saddled ponies. A squat, red-haired dwarf (she thought she had heard someone call him Gloin) approached Sophie with what she assumed was to be her mount in tow: Minty, a gentle white mare. Gloin was kind enough to hold onto the bridle while she hoisted herself into the saddle, taking care not to flank Minty's broad hindquarters. She settled into her seat and took up the reins, trying her best to relax. She had heard somewhere that horses sensed their rider's feelings and sometimes even took advantage of it. Dwarves and horses alike lurched in an unorganized line into the trees. Minty plodded forward after the group without a fuss, which Sophie, being a completely inexperienced rider, was very grateful for. She spotted her new furry friend at the front of the line, carrying Thorin proudly on his back. Sophie found it mildly amusing that a horse as gregarious as Cricket would be the mount of someone who was so prickly by nature.

And so the day began: horses carrying men and a woman to heaven-knows-where. The ride went well enough; the day was warm, but not too hot, and nothing out of the ordinary delayed them. Sophie was very much beginning to enjoy herself by the early afternoon. The scenery was lovely, perhaps even more lovely than Sophie's hiking spots. It felt like the true wilderness. Peppered with rolling hills, dramatic bluffs, and clear streams, the wood thrummed with activity all around them. She saw all sorts of wildlife: various types of birds, an abundance of squirrels, and even a shy doe peeking at the company with her spotted fawn. Who knew that horseback riding could be so relaxing? The hours slipped by quietly and without incident. She chatted with various members of the company along the way to keep herself busy. They seemed to have abandoned their initial distrust, although a couple members of the company still seemed wary of her. She spent at least an hour talking to Bofur, who was content to ramble on about anything and everything as long as she was willing to listen. The dwarf who had asked her where South Carolina was, Ori, questioned her extensively about the workings of cars and the culture of America, his eyes shining with curiosity. After lunch, Oin asked her how her wound was faring, which led to a long conversation about the similarities and differences in his work as a healer and hers as a nurse.

By the time the sun began to sink to the West, Sophie had lost track of just how far they'd traveled. It seemed as though they had only traveled a few hours, but the day had already come and gone. Thorin chose to stop for the evening in front of another stony outcrop, this one set atop a bluff that overlooked the trees below. Sophie rather ungracefully dismounted from her horse, nearly falling when her feet touched the ground due to her legs feeling overwhelmingly like jelly. Laughing at her near-tumble, she leaned against her patient mare until she felt it safe to walk again. The company began their nightly camp routine. Tired of simply 'staying out of the way,' she insisted on at least learning how to unsaddle and tether Minty for the night. Thorin looked irritated by her persistence, but honored her request and called Kili over to help her.

After a hearty dinner of rabbit stew, several of the dwarves turned in for the night early. Bombur seemed to fall asleep right after eating; he snored loudly some distance away from the fire, sucking in and blowing out a handful of little moths with each breath. Not feeling tired quite yet, Sophie sat awake with the others, watching the fire in peaceful contentment. Blanket draped over her lap, her eyelids were just becoming heavy when a loud, rough screeching rose from the forest in the southeast. The noise had clearly frightened Bilbo, who pointed wide-eyed in the direction of the noise and asked,

"What was that?"

"Orcs." Said Kili, his voice sounding very serious.

"Orcs?" Bilbo repeated, trotting closer to the fire as if it would save him from the monsters hiding in the woods. Sophie didn't show it, but she was just as concerned as Bilbo. She had a vague concept of what orcs might be, and it did not sound good.

"Throatcutters. There'll be dozens of them out there." Fili chimed in. "The lowlands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours. Quick and quiet, no screams.. Just lots of blood." Kili said quietly as Bilbo gaped at him, looking more scared with every second. Fili and Kili, however, glanced at each other and chuckled.

"Man, don't even joke like that!" Sophie cried, realizing that they had been teasing Bilbo all along. Maybe throatcutters didn't exist, but if they did, they were nothing to laugh at. The last thing Sophie needed was to be kept up another night.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin inquired severely, standing up to address them. "You think a raid by a pack of orcs is a laughing matter?"

A look of guilt instantly spread across both of their faces.

"We didn't mean anything by it," Kili murmured, turning his eyes to the ground.

"No, you didn't." Thorin growled, stalking to the edge of the bluff to look out over the treetops below. "You know _nothing_ of the world."

"I wouldn't worry about it, laddie," Said Balin reassuringly. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate orcs."

The aged dwarf launched into a lengthy tale of the dwarves' fight to reclaim Moria from a legion of orcs after losing their own kingdom to a fearsome dragon. The orcs, led by a foul, pale orc by the name of Azog the Defiler, had taken Moria before the dwarves could take it first. Enraptured, Sophie listened as Balin recounted the bloody battle that followed. It resulted in the death of Thorin's grandfather, Thrain, who was beheaded by the pale orc who had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin. Throin's father disappeared sometime after that, whether captured or killed, no one knew. The circumstances of the battle were dire, until Thorin, facing down Azog with nothing but an oak branch, severed the beast's left arm. Having learned of all this, Sophie came to understand why Thorin was so cold and humorless. Perhaps the tale was all a fantasy spun into that prank she hoped all this was. But even so, she appreciated the strength of the dwarven king a little more. It seemed that she was not alone in this sentiment, as several members of the company had stood, looking upon their king in admiration.

"But what about the pale orc?" Bilbo queried. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole from wence he came," Thorin spat, as though speaking of Azog had left a bad taste in his mouth. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

"And... Is that where you're all going? Back to Moria?" Sophie asked.

Thorin turned to her, looking as though he were mulling something important over in his head.

"No," He finally answered. "Where we are going, Miss Harrison, is to reclaim our homeland and slay a dragon."

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><p>Phew, finally got all that bullshit out of the way! This chapter really took me a while, guys. I'm not 100% sure I like it, but I suppose I'll let you be the judge of that. Until next time! ;D<p> 


	4. When the Levee Breaks

Author's Note: So, wow, guys. It's been a long ass time since I've updated. Remember when I said I sometimes didn't have time to write? Well, I'm bullshitting you this time, because I did have time to write, I just didn't know what to write _about_. Fili was a tough cookie to write. I'm hoping I've done him some justice; I don't want him to be flat and boring or something. Anyways, enjoy the chapter. Sorry for the wait! Maybe we'll actually see some action next chapter. :P

Disclaimer: Yeah, still don't own this. #makingTolkienrolloverinhisgrave

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><p><em>If it keeps on raining, levee's gonna break<em>

Rain. It could do nothing but rain. Since leaving Bag End, the company had been blessed with warm, sunny weather with naught but a few puffy white clouds to be seen. It seemed as though their luck had run out; just a few days prior what began as a monotonous, overcast sky quickly turned into a torrential downpour that never seemed to end. The company pressed on towards the Lonely Mountain regardless of the weather, taking refuge beneath thick groves of trees, overhanging bluffs, and small caves where they could find it in the evenings. But despite their best efforts, everyone and everything ended up utterly soaked and caked in wet mud. And so began another damp morning of travel, dwarves and ponies alike grudgingly trudging through the muck. Fili sat atop his sodden pony and rode along quietly beside Kili. The rain had put everyone in a very foul mood, making pleasant conversation impossible and the ride spectacularly boring. Fili spent hours lost inside his own head, thinking about Erebor and the dangers that lie ahead on the journey. He contemplated what his life would be like once they had reclaimed the mountain from that accursed dragon. Surely Thorin would continue to groom him for the throne; he was a prince, after all. Fili tried to imagine himself as king under the mountain as his uncle would be before him, but somehow he failed to envision it.

The sound of someone sneezing snapped him out of his daydream, causing him to look around for the source of the noise. Sophie was wiping her nose on her sleeve just behind him. She looked utterly miserable; it had become apparent very early on that she was poorly equipped for travel and lacked weatherproof clothing. Her normally curly black hair hung in limp strands that stuck to the sides of her face. Everything she wore was soaked through, clinging tightly to her body in ragged disarray. Fili watched her shift her reins to one hand and try halfheartedly to squeeze some of the moisture from the bottom of her shirt, but it was no use. She caught him looking then, her light gray eyes making brief contact with his own. Sophie gave him a small, awkward smile and waved. Fili slowed his horse to fall into step beside her. This did not go unnoticed by Kili, who threw a mischievous smirk back at him. Fili chose to ignore him; Kili had been teasing him relentlessly about the woman he'd rescued from 'that steel monster' a week past. He was like a hero in one of their childhood stories, his kin had insisted, and Sophie the fair damsel in distress. Fili had been no more a hero that day than Sophie had been a struggling maiden, and he told his brother as such. This didn't stop Kili from making jokes about the sweeping, fairy tale love that was sure to follow Sophie's truthfully unexciting 'rescue.' Fili rolled his eyes at the possibility, but he had admittedly taken it upon himself to check in with the girl each day, just to be sure she was adjusting to her impromptu adventure.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her now, skipping the greetings.

"Wet," Sophie admitted. "I wonder if our wizard up there has the ability to stop the rain?"

As if he had heard her, Dori called to Gandalf and requested that he stop the downpour.

"It is raining, master dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done." Was Gandalf's reply. "If you want to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

"Well, there goes that idea." Sophie grumbled.

"I'm sure it will let up soon," Fili offered in an attempt to lighten her mood. She smiled.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later, huh?"

"Aye." He agreed. Sophie looked as though she were going to say something, but instead she screwed up her face and turned away to sneeze into the crook of her arm.

"_Damn!_" She coughed, more to herself than to him.

"You'll catch cold if you sit around like a drenched rat all day," Fili tsked as she sniffed pitifully. He unhooked the fastening of his cloak. "Here, why don't you wear my cloak for a bit-"

"You don't have to do that. Then you'll be the one catching cold!" She interjected quickly.

"Too late." He said mildly, shrugging out of the cloak and tossing it to her. "I don't mind it; I'm dressed more warmly than you, anyway."

Sophie let out a little yip of surprise and flailed an arm out to catch the heavy wool garment. He could see the temptation written in her face as she held it out, her eyes shining with longing.

"But-" She began in protest.

"I don't want to hear it. Just put it on." Fili cut her off. "I insist."

With a sigh of appreciation and perhaps a little bit of playful irritation, Sophie draped the cloak around her shoulders and pulled the hood up, huddling inside the warm, thick fabric the best she could manage with Minty's reins still clenched in her hands.

"Thank you," She said meaningfully. "It's nice and toasty."

"You're welcome." He returned with a warm smile.

The rest of the day's ride went rather uneventfully, filled with nothing but gray skies and a dull, dejected silence that washed over the company like the rain that fell on them. Fili spent the afternoon with Sophie, although neither of them felt much in the mood for talking after he had given her his cloak. They rode alongside each other in an awkward silence that slowly eased into some semblance of comfort by the evening. The weather had graciously let up to a weak drizzle by the time the company stopped to break camp. Little patches of pink shone through breaks in the clouds as they tethered the horses beneath a thick grove of young trees. With a little bit of Gandalf's magic, Bofur managed to build a fire from the driest bits of tinder they could scrounge from the wood. They supped that night on wild hare that Kili had picked off with his bow throughout the day, filling trenchers of bread with the dark and gamy meat. The break in the rain had lightened everyone's spirits like a good mug of ale, and they spent quite some time laughing and singing merry songs around the fire. Even Sophie was persuaded to sing a song from her homeland, a hopeful little tune she called 'Here Comes the Sun.' Ori, of course, was the first to ask whether or not the song was sung by the musical group printed on her shirt. She laughed at that, although Fili could not figure out what was so funny about the question. It must have been a cultural thing.

Later that night Fili sat alone on the outskirts of camp, sucking contentedly on his pipe as the heavy scent of tobacco filled the air around him. All of the clouds had fled, leaving behind a deep blue sky filled with countless glittering stars. He gazed up at them and found himself thinking again about the journey that lie before them. Thorin had helped to build a new life for his kin in the Blue Mountains after Smaug laid waste to Erebor, a prosperous life that Fili had been born into. His Uncle had told him and Kili countless stories of the Lonely Mountain and its sea of wealth as children; even then he had dreamed of one day reclaiming his old kingdom. The way he had made it sound, Fili almost felt as though they were chasing a fantasy, some magical phantom that would dissolve into mist if you got too close to it. He had the utmost confidence in Thorin as both a leader and as a king, and yet... A niggling shadow of doubt lingered in the back of his mind. Smaug was a powerful beast, and they numbered at just fourteen. Even the dwarves of the Iron Hills had refused to take on such a laborious endeavor as slaying the dragon, even after all these years. Would the company _really_ be able to take down Smaug, or was this all just a fool's errand? Shaking the thought from his mind, Fili tried to revitalize his faith in their quest. They _would_ succeed. Had he not said that they were all fighters back in Bag End?

Suddenly, he heard a twig snapping underfoot. Quick as a whip, he slid a knife from the leather bracer on his forearm and scanned the trees for the source of the sound.

"Show yourself!" He barked sharply, without regard for waking the others.

Sophie appeared from the darkness, holding up her hands in surrender.

"Shh, I'm sorry. It's just me." She whispered sheepishly.

"Sophie," Fili sighed in relief. "You've got to be more careful; I could have killed you!"

"Sorry," She apologized again. "I couldn't sleep. I thought that I might sit with whoever was on watch for a while."

"You're welcome to it," He replied, sheathing the knife and taking up his pipe. Sophie tentatively sat down next to him, drawing her knees to her chest. He noticed that she was still wearing his cloak, which pooled about her in swaths of dark green. She seemed troubled about something, but made no move to speak of it. In fact, she said nothing at all for a long time.

"Is something bothering you?" Fili finally ventured to ask, knowing the answer perfectly well.

"No.." She began, but then changed her mind. "..Yes."

"That's not a very clear answer," He observed with a chuckle, tapping his spent pipe out on a bit of flat rock exposed in the dirt. Sophie scrunched her nose at him.

"Yes, something is bothering me, Fili."

"Ahh. Want to talk about it?"

"There's not much to say. I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed is all. I still don't know where I am, where I'm going, or where I'll end up. I've tried to keep the anxiety locked away this past week, but it's really hard. No offense to you guys, but I really don't even want to _be_ here. I just want to go home, back to my normal life. I didn't ask for any of this." As she spoke, Sophie frowned, looking almost hesitant to be sharing her fears with him. "You're all going somewhere to slay a dragon. A _dragon_! Do you know that those don't even exist where I'm from? How am I supposed to stay cool when everything I know is all fucked up and confused right now?"

The words spilled out of her in a rush as she picked up steam. When she finished, her voice was shaking and she turned her face away from him, as if she were about to cry and didn't want him to see. Fili thought carefully before answering.

"I think that you're spending too much time fretting over it all. It's difficult to be torn away from your home, I know... Thorin knows. It's why we're on this journey in the first place. But you can't dwell on what upsets you and what you can't figure out. Just take it one day at a time. If you can't do that, one hour at a time, or even one moment. The most important thing for you to do right now is focus on the present. You'll get home in time. Gandalf is confident that this elven lord will be able to help you."

"Oh, yes. This all-knowing elf king in Rivendell or whatever." Sophie sighed, dashing something from her cheek. "Do _you_ think he can help me? If a goddamn wizard can't help me, who says the frickin' Keebler elf can?"

"I do not know," Fili admitted. "But it would be worth it to try. Gandalf is very wise; he would not steer you wrongly."

"I suppose." She said quietly, although he could hear the doubt ringing in her voice.

"Just remember what I told you the day we met,"

Sophie raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You're going to be alright." He reminded her gently.

"I wish I could believe you."

"You can if you try."

"A wise little man once said, 'Do or do not. There is no try.'" She said with a humorless laugh.

"Then do." He reiterated firmly. Sophie looked at him hard, scrutinizing his face as she had the day he had pulled her from the wreckage of her car. It was as if she were searching for something that would validate his honesty, something to tell her that she could trust him implicitly. She struck him as someone that guarded the depths of her mind very closely, he realized. Perhaps it was the unfamiliar nature of him and everyone else in the company that caused her to be so wary, or maybe it was something else entirely that roiled just beneath the surface. Strangely, Fili was intrigued by this revelation, more curious than ever to learn more about Sophie and her mysterious origins.

"Alright," She said finally. "I'll believe that I'll be okay. Just for tonight, at least."

"I'm glad you've seen things my way. I'm always right, you know." He replied cheekily, winking.

"Well, that's good. If you're wrong we're going to have an issue." She quipped, a small smile upon her lips. Yawning, she stood and stretched her arms high above her head. "I think that I'll try to sleep again. By the way, did you want your cloak back? I have a blanket."

Fili _was_ a little cold, but still...

"Keep it." He decided. "You need it more than I do."

"Okay."

Sophie turned to tiptoe back to her place by the embers, but she stopped just long enough to say,

"Thank you for listening."

After she had gone back to bed, Fili lit another pipe of tobacco and contemplated the stars above.

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><p>So this chapter was pretty fucking short, but dammit, I was determined to get something out there. On a side note, when I chose the song that Sophie sings to the company in the evening, is it weird that the first song I thought of was "Heat of the Moment" by Asia? Just... Why? Lmao.<p> 


	5. Girl

Author's Note: So, funny thing happened. Instead of taking a whole month to write a new chapter, I binge wrote one in a single day. I don't know what happened. I'm kind of scared. Anyways, here's chapter five. It's a little short, a little slow and filler-tastic, but hey. We need that relationship development, amirite? I'm definitely going to introduce the trolls next chapter. I'm not making empty promises or anything... Anywho, enjoy. I'd like to thank you all for the awesome support; I really enjoy hearing from you!

Disclaimer: Fortune cookie say, "she who owns a muti-million dollar franchise would not be writing fanfiction."

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><p><em>All about the girl who came to stay<em>

"So you're telling me," Bombur was saying, his ruddy face filled with both skepticism and wonder, "that you can go to certain places in America, pay a fee, and eat _as much as you want_?"

"That is the concept of an all-you-can-eat buffet, yes." Sophie said, a look of amusement in her eyes as the portly dwarf sputtered in amazement.

"Mahal, if you sent Bombur to one of those he'd never leave!" Bofur laughed.

"America is such a ridiculous place," Dwalin grumbled in bewilderment.

"Come brother, don't be rude." Balin chided him with a good natured wave of his hand.

"He's right, though. America is weirder than you can possibly imagine; I've realized that now more than ever since I've come here." Sophie told him casually. Collectively, four pairs of eyes begged her to elaborate on just how bizarre her country could be.

As she laughed along with the others across the fire, Fili sharpened one of his knives thoughtfully on a small whetstone he carried in his pack. Another week had passed since Sophie's arrival in Middle Earth, and as the days went by she seemed to become as much a part of the company as Bilbo; that is to say, she was rather liked by everyone but Thorin. Indeed, his prickly dear uncle still regarded Sophie with suspicion and a dash of resentment, mainly because Gandalf had chosen to use her as leverage to steer the company towards Rivendell. To be fair, Fili was not particularly fond of the idea of running willingly into the realm of elves himself, but he could see Gandalf's reasoning in their need to stop there. The safety of the Shire was far behind them now and the landscape had become increasingly dangerous. Just two nights ago they had heard the howling of wargs far off in the west. Sophie was both poorly equipped and an unwilling participant in their quest for the time being; it only made sense that they left her in the care of Lord Elrond and continued their journey without her. This did not stop Thorin from putting up resistance against the idea, however, and the tension between the dwarven king and the old wizard had built up considerably as they neared the river valley.

Gazing at his companions, Fili found Thorin standing broodingly on the edge of camp as he often did when something troubled him, fingers neatly interlaced behind his back. Putting his work aside, Fili rose and approached him, coming to stand beside him. Thorin did not seem to notice him at first as he gazed out over the rapidly darkening horizon. He cleared his throat.

"Uncle." He began tentatively. Thorin only grunted in response, acknowledging his presence. "I cannot help but feel that something troubles you."

Despite having a rather close bond, Fili unconsciously found it necessary to speak to him more formally than he might speak to others. They were kin, yes, but Thorin was also his superior, his king, and his mentor.

"Gandalf still wishes to stop for rest in Rivendell." Thorin intoned. "I don't want to take us anywhere near the bloody place."

_Blunt as always,_ Fili thought with an inward chuckle.

"But what of Sophie, Uncle? You cannot expect to take her with us all the way to Erebor. She is no warrior."

At this Thorin sighed, as if the mere thought of her was an irritating fly that had flown into his mind to pester him.

"No, she is not." Was all he could say. "I have not yet decided what to do with our little guest."

"There is nowhere we can take her save for Rivendell. We would have to keep her with us to the end if we choose to avert it, and I have gathered from Sophie that she does not wish to be a part of our venture. It would be unfair to her."

"Are you saying that you support Gandalf in this matter?" Thorin suggested, his voice lowering. Fili knew that he was venturing into dangerous territory with him. Ever since the betrayal of Mirkwood, he had declared all elves as untrustworthy cowards that one should not even spit at, let alone share bread and home.

"I am not saying that I trust the elves," Fili replied carefully. "I am merely saying that it may be the most beneficial option for us, given our circumstances."

"The girl may be of use to us."

"What?"

"If I recall, she says that she is a healer in America." Thorin reminded him. "I believe her. She tends to that wound of hers each night with a skill and precision that only healers possess."

"You want to take her on as a second healer to the company." Fili said flatly.

"As queer as she is, she could be instrumental."

"She wants no part in this."

"And what would she do in Rivendell? Sit in their fancy halls, drinking their faerie wine until her mind rots to nothing?" He hissed.

"This isn't about her ability as a healer or any sort of care for her well-being. This is about avoiding a possible place of rest for the sake of prejudice." Fili shot back. He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth; the stormy expression on Thorin's face was proof that it was the wrong thing to say. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I was out of line."

"Leave me." Thorin said quietly, in a way that indicated that their talk was over. Fili knew better than to argue.

He plopped back down by the fire and returned unceremoniously to his task of sharpening one of the many knives he carried on his person. Fili was very proud of his weapons and took special care of each and every one. The task of sharpening and cleaning his knives was normally a comfort to him, but his conversation with Thorin had unsettled his mind. It wasn't just the fact that he had defended the idea of going to Rivendell, despite knowing full well that Thorin (and several other members of the company, for that matter) had a deep dislike of elves. He was bothered by the idea that his Uncle had considered spiriting Sophie away on their quest whether she liked it or not. Fili was not particularly attached to her; if anything, they were acquaintances. But even so, he liked Sophie and wanted the best for her. Certainly he didn't want to force her on their adventure simply because Thorin did not want to take refuge with the elves. Truly, it astounded Fili that Thorin had even contemplated taking her with them. When they had first found her, he had only thought of her as a liability that couldn't be trusted. Why on earth would he change his mind now? Fili absently turned his knife over in his hands, watching the way the flickering flames played off of the smooth, flawless steel of the blade. He jerked back into awareness at the sound of someone speaking to him.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked Gloin wearily.

"I said, did you want to take the first watch, lad?"

"Aye, I'll do it."

Fili gathered up his things and settled against a tree some distance away, but not outside of the ring of firelight so that he could work on his weapons. Thorin glared at him on the way; it would take him a while to get back into his Uncle's good graces, it seemed. Bombur's labored snores could be heard before long. Fili ran his whetstone over the little dagger he kept in his right boot, concentrating on listening for danger. He heard a woman whispering his name in the dark and and tightened his grip on the hilt, waiting and watching. It was Sophie.

"This is the second time in a week you've scared me on watch," He chided her.

"It's my special power, I guess." She joked lamely. "I just had to take a leak is all."

"Uh.. Too much information."

"Oh, please. Everyone pisses." Sophie said with a playful roll of her eyes. "Anyways, what are you up to?"

Fili made a wide gesture to indicate that what he was doing now, sitting awake and doing next to nothing, was what he was up to.

"Hmm. Would you mind some company for a bit?" She hummed. He shook his head.

Sophie crept back to the group to retrieve something from her pack before sitting down on a patch of coarse grass next to him. She held a slate gray tunic in her hands.

"What's that?" Fili asked her curiously.

"Oh, Nori tore the sleeve of his shirt the other day and asked me to fix it. I'm a woman, so I know this domestic kind of stuff, obviously." She said with a little laugh. "Truthfully, the only thing I know how to sew is flesh wounds. Well, it's got to be the same concept with fabric, right?"

"I suppose so," He chuckled.

Taking up a needle and a small spool of matching thread, she set to work sewing Nori's tunic with a clumsy surgical technique. Fili returned to sharpening his dagger, forgoing small talk and deciding instead to savor the silence of the evening with her. Sophie enjoyed conversation, but Fili had noticed that she never seemed to mind sharing a comfortable silence with someone. This quality was a refreshing change of pace for him; Kili normally wanted to talk about anything and everything and the company as a whole was always rowdy. That's not to say that Fili didn't like that; he was as loud and boisterous as the rest of them. But at times it was nice to simply stop talking, at least for a little while. They basked in quiet contentment for a time until Sophie began to sing softly to herself.

"You know, you're a lot quieter than the other dwarves." She observed mid-song.

"Is that bad?" Fili queried without looking up from his whetstone.

"No, it's actually pretty nice. I mean, I like them, don't get me wrong. But it's nice to just kind of sit around and enjoy each other's company, you know?"

"I do know. I was just thinking the same thing." He stopped and looked up at her. She gave him a crooked smile.

"No shit?" She marveled. "Reminds me of a story from home, where one of the characters says that you know that you've found someone special when you can comfortably share silence."

"Is that so? Perhaps it was destiny for me to find you in that car." Fili teased.

"Maybe it was."

Sophie laid her sewing down into her lap to shake her hair loose from the stretchy band she used to keep her hair tied into a messy bun. It was the first time Fili had seen her hair taken down. The dark curls were perhaps a few inches longer than his own, falling well past her shoulders and framing her rounded face. She gathered the hair up again as quickly as it had fallen, creating another untidy bun near the crown of her head.

"You know, we've talked quite a bit about America and such, but I really don't know much about you," Sophie was saying. "Your uncle's the king, I know that. What does that make you?"

"A prince," Fili admitted. "I am heir to the throne after my uncle. He has no sons."

She raised both eyebrows in disbelief.

"Really? You're a legit prince?"

"No one has told me otherwise."

"I didn't know that I've been talking to royalty all this time. Man, I even cussed in front of you!" Sophie cried. "Maybe I should start calling you 'your grace' from now on."

"That's not necessary." Fili said sheepishly. "You don't need to treat me any differently than you did before."

"As you wish, your grace." Sophie replied with an impish smirk.

"I sincerely hope that you don't really plan on calling me that." He said sourly.

"Mmmm, I just might. Got a nice ring to it."

"Sophie-"

"Calm down, I'm just kidding." She laughed.

"Oh, good. If you were going to call me 'your grace' I was going to have to start calling you 'milady.'" Fili taunted her, not unkindly.

"Hey man, that's not cool. I'm not even a princess." Sophie pointed out.

"You're a princess to me. A princess of America." Mahal, was he _flirting_ with her?

"America doesn't have princesses, we are a democracy." She countered, crossing her arms and looking smug.

"As you say, milady." Fili shrugged. She went a little red with embarrassment at that, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You're so lame. I'm going to bed." Sophie huffed, trying her best to look offended and hide her grin. She balled up Nori's shirt and stood. "Goodnight, _your grace._"

"Sleep well, milady." He answered without skipping a beat.

"Heh. See you in the morning."

Sophie spun on her heel and marched back to her place among the company, huddling beneath the brightly colored blanket she kept in her equally vibrant pack. Fili watched her go, sliding the long forgotten dagger back into his boot and pulling out another from inside his coat to sharpen. Listening to the sound of cold steel scraping across stone, he pondered his new found friendship with the healer from a faraway land. She was kind of cute when she pretended to be angry.

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><p>Yeah, it was another short chapter. Sorry about that. Seems like my chapters get shorter and shorter each time. But hey, how about them trolls? They're comin'. Something other than boring conversation is happening! :P<p>

I'm so lame. Lol.


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